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Down the Line

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A look into the legacy of the cuts made to the rail network by Doctor Beeching.

logo for Down the Line - East
Down the Line - East

Nicholas Crane explores what happened to Norfolk's railways 45 years ago when many of the county's branch lines were closed after the Beeching Report.

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logo for Down the Line - East Midlands
Down the Line - East Midlands

Pop mogul and rail enthusiast Pete Waterman travels the old Midland mainline through Derbyshire and the Peak District, and asks whether the link to Manchester could be reopened.

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logo for Down the Line - London and the South East
Down the Line - London and the South East

Edwina Currie journeys across London and the South East to examine the legacy of Doctor Beeching, one of the most notorious men in British railway history.

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logo for Down the Line - North East
Down the Line - North East

Wayne Hemingway discovers the lasting damage caused to the North East by Doctor Beeching's closures, and asks if it is possible to have a community with a heart but no railway.

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logo for Down the Line - North West With Stuart Maconie
Down the Line - North West With Stuart Maconie

Broadcaster Stuart Maconie takes a wry look at the effect of the Beeching railway cuts in the 1960s, and asks how much they are to blame for traffic problems in the North West.

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logo for Down the Line - South
Down the Line - South

Joe Crowley journeys back to the world of steam to meet the people who battled to save their local railway lines in the 60s, and talks to some who were affected by Beeching's axe.

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logo for Down the Line - South West
Down the Line - South West

Dick Strawbridge takes a look at the impact of Beeching's cuts on the South West rail network, and how, nearly half a century after its closure, one line might make a comeback.

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logo for Down the Line - West Midlands
Down the Line - West Midlands

Pop mogul and former railway worker Pete Waterman takes a journey across the West Midlands to investigate whether Doctor Beeching's ideas still hold true today.

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logo for Down the Line - West With Simon Calder
Down the Line - West With Simon Calder

Journalist Simon Calder explores the legacy of the 1960s railway cuts in the West Country, arguing that the time has come to reverse some of Dr Beeching's branch line closures.

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logo for Down the Line - Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
Down the Line - Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

Adam Hart Davis takes a road trip along the ghost of the Beverley to York line, which was scrapped under Beeching, and looks at the fierce local campaign to get it re-opened.

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